Kris Calef – Craft Beer Blog from The Beer of the Month Clubhttps://www.beermonthclub.com/blog
A craft beer blog written by the experts of The Microbrewed Beer of the Month ClubThu, 20 Dec 2018 18:16:07 +0000en-UShourly15 Beer Holiday TraditionsThat You Should Embracehttps://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/5-beer-holiday-traditions-that-you-should-embrace/
https://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/5-beer-holiday-traditions-that-you-should-embrace/#respondWed, 28 Nov 2018 01:00:00 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=1751Pick a kick-ass holiday seasonal beer and hoist that baby every year when you’re hanging your lights – Let’s face it, hanging lights sucks. It’s a cold, lonely, and thankless job, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Each year, I put down 3-4 bottles of Anchor’s Christmas Ale, which more than likely makes […]

Pick a kick-ass holiday seasonal beer and hoist that baby every year when you’re hanging your lights – Let’s face it, hanging lights sucks. It’s a cold, lonely, and thankless job, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Each year, I put down 3-4 bottles of Anchor’s Christmas Ale, which more than likely makes a 2-hour job into a 3-hour job, but ever since I started this tradition, I look forward to hanging those babies. This year, a good buddy donated some aged samples for the cause, and I have some going back as far as 2005, so it may be a 5-hour job when it’s all said and done.

Our legal team would like us to inform you that MonthlyClubs.com® and The Rare Beer Club® in no way endorse drinking while hanging Christmas lights, i.e. don’t be climbing any ladders with a few winter warmers in your gullet!

Share a massive ABV, barrel-aged beer with someone who claims to not like beer – I love doing this, and as a member of The Bruery’s Reserve Society for a couple of years, far too often I’d bust out some variation for Black Tuesday, their 19-20%+ ABV bourbon-barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout, on some unsuspecting non-believer. Most are shocked and had no idea that beer could be so good. It’s fun. Give it a try.

Buy & drink five new holiday seasonal beers you’ve never tried – This one may be a no-brainer and add no value to the reader what so ever, but I felt inclined to point out the obvious. We’ve all got our favorite go-to’s. Set sail from that safe harbor and challenge your palate a bit on a couple of styles. Maybe plan to drink one each Friday leading up to the 25th…Or whenever your thirsty. You can even make it fun by creating a Craft Beer Advent Calendar stuffed with holiday beers you’ve never tried.

Find one of your favorite holiday beers on draft at a cool bar and kick it with your favorite peeps – I used to live on Balboa Island in my 20s and we’d hit this sweet beach bar called The Saloon on the Peninsula every year in late November to lap up many, many pints of Anchor’s Christmas Ale over few games of darts and pool. It doesn’t get much better. Damn, Anchor’s getting some good press outta me today.

Buy a magnum of something cool and bring it to a party – So this one has the benefit of not only making you look like some kind of super stud when you show up with a magnum in hand when everyone else is sporting a bottle of wine, but also ensures that you’ll be drinking good beer for at least the first 2-3 beers…Stay close to the prize.

Do all five, Grasshopper, and it is time for you to leave… the year behind.

]]>https://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/5-beer-holiday-traditions-that-you-should-embrace/feed/0Brewiety Merges with The Rare Beer Clubhttps://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/brewiety-merges-with-the-rare-beer-club/
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 00:00:35 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2744We are excited to announce that Brewiety, an innovative beer club focused on delivering outstanding beers from the nation’s most respected brewers, has recently merged with The Rare Beer Club®. After a long drought and having not received a shipment since last year, existing Brewiety members have been excited to learn how their club membership […]

]]>We are excited to announce that Brewiety, an innovative beer club focused on delivering outstanding beers from the nation’s most respected brewers, has recently merged with The Rare Beer Club®.

After a long drought and having not received a shipment since last year, existing Brewiety members have been excited to learn how their club membership has improved as a result of the merger and were allowed to customize their first shipment from a list of over 15 truly rare, outstanding beers, many of which were brewed exclusively for The Rare Beer Club.

]]>2017 Holiday Special Offer!!https://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/2017-holiday-special-offer/
Wed, 08 Nov 2017 01:00:25 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2340It’s our pleasure to bring you another Rare Beer Club® Special Offer! This 2017 Holiday Offer features four limited-production and limited-distribution beers, each of which impressed us greatly and truly represent excellent choices to accompany good times during the holiday period. You can read a summary below or visit the special offer page for full […]

]]>It’s our pleasure to bring you another Rare Beer Club® Special Offer! This 2017 Holiday Offer features four limited-production and limited-distribution beers, each of which impressed us greatly and truly represent excellent choices to accompany good times during the holiday period. You can read a summary below or visit the special offer page for full tasting notes and access to the order form.

If you’re new to the club: welcome! One of the best things about being a member is that, in addition to our normal monthly selections, you can take advantage of our periodic special offers on additional exciting and hard-to-find beers.

Brouwerij Van Steenberge: Piraat Special Reserve – (Rum-Barrel-Aged Piraat Ale (Belgian Strong Golden Ale))That sweet and floral underlying character from the rum barrel is a great match to the peppery, honeyed core of Piraat, and together these things do magical stuff. 10.5% ABV.

The Bruery: White Chocolate – (Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Wheatwine Ale w/ TCHO Cacao Nibs & Fresh Vanilla Beans)This beer is an experience. A mischievously pale, golden-orange offering that simultaneously provides a deftly balanced impact of bourbon, chocolate and cocoa. The TCHO cacao nibs and fresh vanilla beans that go into the core profile of this beer do exceptional work, providing a dense main structure for the rest of this to unfold. 13.8% ABV.

Flexible ordering allows you to order 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 total bottles, combining any of the 4 featured beers in any way to get there so that you can easily try all four. Orders ship after our July 31 cut off date.

Order online or at 800-625-8238 Mon-Fri 7 am – 5 pm Pacific. If your Rare Beer Club®membership was a gift, you will be contacted by one of our team members for payment information if you submit your order online.

Click the “Learn More” button for full tasting notes, and to access the order form.

If you wish to get any of these limited selections, please respond to this special offer by 12:00 PM Pacific on Monday, November 20, 2017.

]]>What Exactly is a Holiday Beer?https://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/exactly-holiday-beer/
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:00:38 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2155So right about this time of year we, get a lot of questions from our customers about Christmas Beers and Winter Warmers. It’s no real surprise as the definition of what constitutes a holiday beer is somewhat blurry, as are the lines of traditional beer styles in general. So I sat down and penciled out […]

]]>So right about this time of year we, get a lot of questions from our customers about Christmas Beers and Winter Warmers. It’s no real surprise as the definition of what constitutes a holiday beer is somewhat blurry, as are the lines of traditional beer styles in general. So I sat down and penciled out a few thoughts on the matter which led me to think about what some of my favorite holiday seasonals were over the years. I went back pretty far and dug up a few we ran over a decade ago. Give it a read and let us know what you think! I’d also like to know what some of your favorite holiday beers are so let us know.

]]>Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales & The Rare Beer Club Beer Naming Contesthttps://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/jolly-pumpkin-artisan-ales-rare-beer-club-beer-naming-contest/
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 00:00:08 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2088So you didn’t win the grand prize in our recent beer naming contest with Yazoo and are weeping tears of sorrow into your freshly poured glass of Space Ace Oddity. Am I right? A bit of a tangent first. Did you dig that beer as much as I did? A fellow craft beer lover and […]

]]>So you didn’t win the grand prize in our recent beer naming contest with Yazoo and are weeping tears of sorrow into your freshly poured glass of Space Ace Oddity. Am I right? A bit of a tangent first. Did you dig that beer as much as I did? A fellow craft beer lover and vendor we work with sent me a bottle a year or so ago when it was first introduced to a very limited Michigan market and I was genuinely floored which doesn’t happen much these days. Really, really love that beer and hope you did too.

So on with the good news. You’ve got one more chance this year to win a 6 month, 2-bottle membership to The Rare Beer Club by naming our next exclusive beer, brewed by none other than craft beer legend Ron Jeffries at Jolly Pumpkin!

Ron wasn’t sure he could work us into his production schedule this year when I first pinged him in the new year, but then he reached out a couple months back and asked if I was still interested because he was kicking around a Blackberry Pumpkin Saison recipe that would work nicely in October. It took all of a nanosecond for me to concur that this was indeed a primo idea.

We’ve done 6 exclusives with Jolly Pumpkin over the last 23 years and in all honesty…No seriously, I really mean it…They all kicked ass. You will not be disappointed and it will indeed be an honor to have been the one to name it so put down your device, bust out a yellow pad and start noodling on some ideas.

Wait. Don’t power down just yet. Are you still there? There’s some stuff you gotta know first.

The beer is a 7.0% Spelt Saison that’s been aged for 7 months in oak foeders which will contribute spice, and sour fruit notes developed through barrel aging and naturally occurring Brettanomyces yeast and Lactobacillus bacteria. Perle, Vanguard and Southern Cross hops were used along with pilsner malts and spelt to make the beer. A pumpkin and blackberry puree was added to the oak foeders 3 months into their resting period.

Here’s another secret squirrel tip. The last 5 JP beers featured were named Ursae Majoris, Los Vivos y Los Muertos, Rosie Del Barrio, Lupulo de Hielo, and Biere de Goord so you could say there seems to be a bias toward foreign language based names. Don’t let me stifle your creativity baby. Run with what feels good. I’m just sayin’…

Here’s what you need to know to play, good people of Gotham.

Entering the Beer Naming Contest

Although the new beer will only be available to members of The Rare Beer Club, both members and non-members are invited to enter the contest and submit up to three names for the new beer. The contest officially begins on Monday, June 26th, 2017. Entrants will have until 2 pm PDT on Monday, July 17th, to submit up to three names. That gives you a week to think about each name! You can do this!

Finalists will be chosen by The Rare Beer Club and Jolly Pumpkin on July 20th, at which time contestants, club members, and the general public can vote for their favorite name. The winning entry will be announced on Wednesday, July 26th and the contest winner will receive a 6-month, 2-bottle membership to The Rare Beer Club.

To receive this special beer, and many more, join the Rare Beer Club online or call 800-625-8238. Be sure to start your membership by October 2017, or earlier, to receive this exclusive beer from Jolly Pumpkin.

]]>Sours, sours and more sours!https://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/sours-sours-and-more-sours/
Fri, 02 Jun 2017 00:00:39 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2061Can we talk about sours for a minute here? You’ve no doubt noticed an uptick in sour beer production over the last few years. And quite a few of them are pretty approachable even for those who haven’t previously enjoyed them. Seems like every time we put a sour up to another beer in any […]

]]>Can we talk about sours for a minute here? You’ve no doubt noticed an uptick in sour beer production over the last few years. And quite a few of them are pretty approachable even for those who haven’t previously enjoyed them. Seems like every time we put a sour up to another beer in any given month, the sour is considerably more popular.

Of our 24 annual selections, we’ve run anywhere from 4-6 sours each year over the last 3 years. Thinking about doing more, but we want to make sure we’re keeping everyone happy as much as possible. One way to do it is to offer more sours via special offers. In fact, we’re thinking an ALL SOUR special offer. Okay, so we’re not just thinking it, we’re doing it. Anybody heard of O’so Brewing Company in Plover, WI? I hadn’t until one of the guys on our SEO team sent me a bottle of Space Ace Oddity, a one off run of a brett-fermented double dry-hopped Belgian white IPA made to commemorate the work of David Bowie. Really nice beer. We liked it so much that we’re having them brew us another batch just for our members which will be featured in May this year. But we’re talkin’ about sours here, right? Right. Marc Buttera, founder, CEO and super cool cat, sent me a care package like I have not received in a few years that included twelve 750s, half of them pretty damned amazing sours. It was really hard to pick just 4, but we suffered through it and are running with the following in our July 2017 RBC special offer:

O’so Blood of the Cherry Sour – Cherry Wild Ale

O’so Arbre Qui Donne Sour – Peach Wild Ale

O’so Tuppen’s Demise Sour – Blueberry Wild Ale

O’so Scarlet Letter Cranberry Sour – Wild Ale

On top of that, we’ve already got 7 sours slotted for 2017 and are looking to lock down on an 8th, including offerings from AleSong, Mystic, Panil, Sudwerk and an exclusive from Jolly Pumpkin.

I’d love to hear any and all thoughts you have on the direction we’re taking!

]]>Rare Beer Club Naming Contest with Yazoo Brewing and Pints for Prostateshttps://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/rare-beer-club-naming-contest-yazoo-pints-for-prostates/
Thu, 25 May 2017 00:00:05 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2074Wanna win a 6 month, 2-bottle membership to The Rare Beer Club® Of course you do. Who wouldn’t? Well, you’re going to have to do some work then, okay? You good with that part? It’s kind of important that you’re good with that part. Although, it’s not really work if you generally associate work with […]

]]>Wanna win a 6 month, 2-bottle membership to The Rare Beer Club® Of course you do. Who wouldn’t? Well, you’re going to have to do some work then, okay? You good with that part? It’s kind of important that you’re good with that part. Although, it’s not really work if you generally associate work with things that aren’t fun. Trust me, you can have fun with this one. One of the past winners of this particular project was an 8.5% smoked Dopplebock that was given one of my all time all-time favorite names…Prostator!

We need help naming a beer people.

This contest is our annual collaboration with Pints for Prostates, and this year Rick has secured Yazoo Brewing and the celebrated head of their sour program, Brandon Jones, to create a beer to help PFP educate dudes about getting properly screened for prostate cancer. Suffice to say…It’s a really worthy cause.

It’s always fun to jump on a call with a brewer and see what kind of creative ideas they’re kickin’ around on their pilot system or what glorious goodness awaits in a barrel program. Talking to Brandon didn’t disappoint. In his words, “I have a batch of an incredible merlot french oak barrel aged aged sour and Brettanomyces Belgian Golden Strong ale we are going to fruit with a combo of blackberries, tart cherries and raspberries. The base beer before fruit is showing nice character of pepper, dark fruit, and bright lemon lime.”

There was a long pause on the call and then Rick and I simultaneously and resoundingly said, “WE’RE IN”!

Suffice to say, it’s gonna be a pretty sweet offering and we’re really fired up about it.

Here’s what you need to know to play kids.

Entering the Beer Naming Contest

Although the new beer will only be available to members of The Rare Beer Club, both members and non-members are invited to enter the contest and submit up to three names for the new beer. The contest officially begins on Wednesday, May 24th, 2017. Entrants will have until 2 pm PDT on Monday, June 12th, to submit up to three names.

Finalists will be chosen by The Rare Beer Club, Pints for Prostates, and Yazoo Brewing Company on Wednesday, June 14th, at which time contestants, club members, and the general public can vote for their favorite name. The winning entry will be announced on Thursday, June 22nd and the contest winner will receive a 6-month, 2-bottle membership to The Rare Beer Club.

To receive this special beer, and many more, join The Rare Beer Club online or call 800-625-8238. Be sure to start your membership by September 2017, or earlier, to receive this exclusive beer from Yazoo Brewing Company.

]]>How do our Rare Beer Club customers feel about 22 oz. packaging?https://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/rare-beer-club-customers-feel-22-oz-packaging/
Fri, 12 May 2017 00:00:08 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2058We’ve been kicking around the idea of running 2-3 beers a year in The Rare Beer Club that are not packaged in 750ml bottles, but rather 22 oz. bottles for quite some time now. There are some pretty sweet beers out there that are only packaged in 22s and ultimately, it would open up that […]

]]>We’ve been kicking around the idea of running 2-3 beers a year in The Rare Beer Club that are not packaged in 750ml bottles, but rather 22 oz. bottles for quite some time now. There are some pretty sweet beers out there that are only packaged in 22s and ultimately, it would open up that many more breweries and beers as prospective features. Think special offers or RBC exclusives from Shmaltz Brewing Company like Funky Jewbelation or Cigar City’s Marshal Zhukov’s Penultimate Push, an 11.5% Imperial Stout with Coffee and Vanilla.

Most recently, we’ve been presented with a special offering from Humboldt Brewing Company. Specifically, they sent us a couple bottles of 2015 Black Xantus, an 11% Imperial Stout infused with fair-trade, organic coffee from a local roaster, Jobella, and aged for 6 months in a combination of Bourbon, retired Firestone Union and wine barrels. It’s taken the gold at the Denver International Beer Competition and US Open Beer Championship and boasts a 99 overall rating on RateBeer.

The short of it is, we loved it. A lot. It poured opaque with a dense light brown head. The nose showed big roasted and chocolate malt contributions, coffee, and toffee, all on a notable malty molasses backdrop. The nose was a solid representation of the flavor profile: Dark caramel, molasses malty goodness, chocolate malt, coffee, and roasted malt. And with nearly a couple years in the bottle, some sherry notes started to emerge. This baby’s only going to get better with time. Mouthfeel was viscous as hell and body was full.

Anyway, we liked it enough to put it out there to our members to see how you’d feel if a couple times a year one of your Rare Beer Club bottles was in a bomber (22 oz.) rather than a 750ml (roughly 25 oz.). We’re talking about 3 ounces less beer, but in our humble opinion, well worth the trade-off.

]]>Limited Offering Smokey and the Boishttps://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/limited-offering-smokey-and-the-bois/
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 01:00:46 +0000http://www.beermonthclub.com/blog/?p=2003The day has come. We’ve made the call to part with the last 67 bottles of our highly coveted Smokey and the Bois, a very special blend of three different barrel aged beers that was crafted for us nearly 3 years ago to celebrate our 20 year anniversary. I’d be hard pressed to part with […]

The day has come. We’ve made the call to part with the last 67 bottles of our highly coveted Smokey and the Bois, a very special blend of three different barrel aged beers that was crafted for us nearly 3 years ago to celebrate our 20 year anniversary. I’d be hard pressed to part with it if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve already got 5+ cases stashed in our in-house beer cave! We’ve been sitting on a small portion of our remaining inventory with the intent of releasing it to our members after it had been laid down for a few years. The holidays seem like the right time to do it. It’s available only to active members of The Rare Beer Club and you will be limited to just two bottles.

Smokey and the Bois was crafted from three different Bruery beers: Black Tuesday (The Bruery’s famous ~20% ABV imperial stout), Bois (an exceptional, bourbon-barrel-aged old ale), and Smoking Wood (an imperial rye porter brewed with beech- and cherrywood smoked malts). And, for even more dimension and complexity, the final blend was aged with vanilla beans and Ecuadorian Nacional cacao nibs.

This is the last of it. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, so if you haven’t already grabbed a bottle or two, now’s your chance.